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I haven’t seen the curtains open at the Ziegfeld in years. I keep hoping it’s going to happen, and I catch 6-10 films a year there, but the curtains are always open when we walk in, even at the world premiere of Led Zeppelin’s movie with the band in attendance. Just a white screen.

Thanks for the tip movieguy. Sadly when my wife and I went to see Interstellar on Veterans Day, the curtain wasn’t used. I went to the Ziegfeld on purpose cause A) I was never there. B)I wanted to see the movie on film, and C) I wanted to see the curtain. Well 2 out of 3 aint too bad. I had later found out from Joe Masher that there was a technician in the building that day and that’s why the curtain wasn’t used. But the rest of the time, theres no excuse.

I went to see out of the woods for the 7:30 PM screening I New Year’s Day January 1, 2015. There was a very good attendance I’m happy to report. Looked like to me about 550 people. Quite a good turnout.
Sadly they did not use the curtains. I want to find a manager after the show to ask them why they did not use the curtains, because they were used for the 70 mm showing of interstellar in November 2014.I had to hustle to make the train back home. Here a tip to save on the $15 admission. BJ’s Wholesale Club as well as Cosco or if you’re AAA member. You have the option of buying tickets for any bowtie cinema. They only cost seven dollars. Then when you bring the voucher to the box office at the Ziegfeld. You pay one dollar surcharge. So that’s $8.00 vs & 15 quite a savings.

Since 2013, the Ziegfeld has been managed by Bow Tie Cinemas, on behalf of Cablevision, which owns the theater (the theater was previously part of the Clearview Cinemas theater chain prior to the chain’s sale to Bow Tie; the actual ownership of the Ziegfield building was excluded from the sale).

Saw “Into The Woods” on New Year’s Eve. It’s time for Bow Tie to stand up. Yes, I know this house isn’t a consistent sell out. But it is, without question, as everyone here knows, one of the world’s premiere theatres, literally, holding dozens of east coast premieres a year. Movie stars and film makers seen all over the globe posing at the opening of their major motion pictures in this beautiful cinema treasure. And she’s a wonderful state of the art hall that us mere mortals can experience movies at their best.

The first offense was walking to the front doors to see all the one sheet cases in dire conditions. They haven’t been updated in decades. Old dirty looking fabric, faded old metal frames and all three cases having wrinkled ill installed one sheets. Don’t think Meryl Streep, who attended the World Premiere of the film just a few weeks before would have appreciated seeing her image practically falling out of the frame. C'mon, how much does a few yards of red velvet and some new frames cost?

Then, my favorite seat was once again broken. Pull the seat down and it lowers practically to the floor. It’s time for new seats. This grand lady doesn’t need big leather recliners, but the hard metal old lumpy stuffed ones have seen their prime. If you are charging $15.00 for a feature and $19.00 for 3D, a comfortable seat is not unreasonable.

I can accept the digital pre-show, I get it, but this is not some neighborhood dive, this is New York’s Bowtie Ziegfeld Theater. No one needs or more importantly, wants six trailers. It’s not 1975, trailers are everywhere and we’ve seen them all before we walk into the auditorium. Three trailers, the next attraction, the one that might come attached to the feature and one more is more than enough. After six, commercials, and policy, the audience is exhausted.

The staff, as always were wonderful, honestly, the best in the city. One couldn’t ask for a more friendly, courteous crew, who understand who their patrons are and care. Ushers, concession, management, all wishing this nice size early matinee crowd a happy new. I hope it is a happy new year for Bowtie’s Ziegfeld Theatre and her staff. They deserve it.

Touching on what Curmudgeon said on Dec.27, the last film I saw there was Steven Soderbergh’s “Che"… both parts were shown and during the intermission, the projectionist switched screen formats to accommodate the 2nd part (using focus grids) along with re-aligning the curtains, sort of film nerdish of me, but I found it a treat. Ziegfeld rules.

since this is the movie theater in Manhattan
today i have a question for my fellow Ziegfeld
devotees. the 1st time movies or flickers as they
were called were projected on screen in a
theater before a paying audience was the night
of April 25, 1896 at Koster and Bail’s Music
Hall on 34th St.. and the rest as they say is
history. now for the first several of the biz
whatever “movie theaters” existed in Manhattan
were music halls, vaudville theaters, legitmate
theaters or decent sized unused retail spaces
that were simply converted top show movies.

which is where my question comes in. i have been
trying to determine what was the 1st theater built
in Manhattan brick by brick by the ground up with
the purpose of being a picture house to use the old term. anyone have any clues?

I know what you mean about Oscar bait films not
living up to the hype. I saw Birdman based on all
the Oscar juggernaut/hoopla talk. well it was 2hrs.
of my life wasted i’ll never get back. and the final
third or resolution section of Gone Girl totally ruined the film for me.

Just got back from the premiere of The Imitation Game at the Ziegfeld. Harvey Weinstein and most of the actors in the movie (Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Charles Dance, etc.) were there. What puzzled me was that they didn’t use the curtains for this big event, leaving the blank screen exposed at all times. They would have added a nice touch of class to the proceedings.

The movie was very good, if not quite the Oscar juggernaut Harvey thinks it is. He has a great Oscar track record, so I could be wrong about that.

I’m not an expert, but though I did think the sound at Inerstellar was less than ideal, it had nothing to do with the Ziegfeld. I had no problems at all with the sound during the previews. I think the sound at the Ziegfeld is magnificent and one of many reasons that I see movies here.

It is not just Interstellar, which I agree did not have a good sound mix, but other films recently too. The previews before The Drop were ear-splitting. I think the Ziegfeld just feels obligated to crank the volume since the space is so huge.

Brat,I understand it’s just that sometimes with the Mag tracks EQ we were often able to do wonders with a so so tracks but I hear what you are saying its just anytime I can hope mag sound would be an improvement I cant help but say that; old school and all that rot ya know

I saw the film last weekend but not at this
theater which I had planned to but as they say
things happen. now I thought the sound at the
theater I saw it at was fine. so might someone
explain to me what the complaints are about.